An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Lafayette Middle School, Lafayette, GA on 21 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:03 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and W4LMS. The contact should be audible over the U.S. state of Georgia and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

LaFayette Middle School serves southern Walker County, Georgia. 80% of LMS students receive free or reduced meals. Currently 65% of Walker County students graduate, up from 58% 3 years ago, during which time Walker County Schools adopted the following mission statement: "It is the Mission of Walker County Schools to ensure all students graduate - Ready for College, Ready for Work, Ready for Life!"

LaFayette Middle School has had an amateur radio club since 2007. Since it's inception, the Rambler Radio Club has had the goal to expose our students to other cultures, take them out of their current reality, and show them what could be possible through their personal education.

This ARISS Contact will be a perfect fit for the WCS System mission statement and Rambler Radio's goal.

We anticipate an audience of over 1,000 for our ARISS contact here at LaFayette Middle School. LMS is currently the third largest school in Walker County, Georgia, with an anticipated student population of 900 in grades 6-8. The local population of LaFayette is 8,000 with half of our students living in the city limits and the other half living in the outlying rural area.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. What time zone do you use on the ISS?

2. What fuels the Space Station?

3. Does everyone there have a specific job?

4. Describe a normal day on the ISS.

5. How do you perform daily tasks like cooking, eating, and laundry on the

Space Station?

6. Other than gravity, what are the differences between life in Space and

life on Earth?

7. What landmarks on Earth can you see from space?

8. Between launch and re-entry which one scares you the most and why?

9. How has being in space changed your perspective of Earth and life on

Earth?

10. What is the weirdest thing you have seen or experienced while in space?

11. What made you want to be an astronaut?

12. How do you exercise in space?

13. Not counting your training, how long does it take you to get to the

International Space Station?

14. What is the interior temperature on board the International Space

Station?

15. How do you deal with coughing and sneezing in space?

16. How do you deal with sickness on board?

17. How do you sleep in space?

18. Do you conserve resources such as water, electricity, etc. since you only have a limited amount?

19. Do you ever get claustrophobic while living on the ISS?

20. How do you avoid hitting an object floating around the Earth?

Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact.

Next planned event(s):

TBD

ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.

ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).

Thank you & 73,

David - AA4KN